Spring Art Show Galleries

The AP students in Studio Art put the final touches on their portfolios in preparation for sending them to The College Board. In their Sustained Investigation section they had to explore a topic of their choice through one or more Inquiry Questions. They also had to submit an artist statement explaining how their work shows evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision guided by their questions. For their work in this section, you will see many photos of work in progress, planning sketches, and photos of the students in the process of making. For the Selected Works section, students submitted three of their best pieces, with short written commentary showing how these works represent a synthesis of ideas, processes, and materials. Click here for the AP Gallery.

Some work in this section may have mature or controversial themes, as students are addressing topics that concern them as they grow into young adults.

The Honors Studio Art classes began the semester by exploring traditional and non-traditional materials through still life. Students began by drawing a traditional still-life set up, including bottles, boxes, natural objects, and a human skeleton, in charcoal. Then the class moved to the Messer Art Gallery, where students created a second interpretation of this still-life by pinning fabric, string, and other upcycled materials directly to the wall. Some of these interpretations are recognizable as the original still-life, while others are completely abstract. In the final quarter, students worked remotely on their sustained investigations. Some chose to continue exploring the topics they started earlier in the year with increased focus, while others switched to new topics. Click here for the Honors Gallery.

Some work in this section may have mature or controversial themes, as students are addressing topics that concern them as they grow into young adults.

The Art I class started the semester by learning about the Elements and Principles of Design and drawing Zen Tangles. That was followed by a lesson in observational contour drawing, where students drew their own hands using a variety of different materials and approaches. Next came an abstract pencil drawing assignment titled Abstract Layers and Holes, in which students learned to create an illusion of depth using shading. During remote learning, the class completed a unit on one-point linear perspective and drawing geometric forms, culminating in a still life drawing of a tissue box. Finally, students ended the semester with a unit on portraiture.

The Art II class built on the drawing and design skills students learned in Art I, beginning with a Color Wheel Mandala project. Students then worked on an observational Nature Drawing piece, in which they experimented with a variety of materials and approaches to drawing. Next, they studied two-point linear perspective and completed still-life drawings of Lego blocks. During remote learning, the class completed a unit on portraiture in which they drew heads from various perspectives, using planar analysis and observational approaches. They also explored their own interests and feelings through art journaling, using traditional sketchbooks and upcycling discarded books into mixed-media “altered sketchbooks”.

Art III continued to develop their drawing, design, and conceptual thinking skills, working in a range of 2-D and 3-D materials, and taking the wheel of their art experience with self-directed assignments. They built assemblage sculptures out of boxes and other discarded objects, then drew them in charcoal. They completed many assignments in their “altered sketchbooks,” and explored their own interests by beginning sustained investigations on topics of their choice. They ended the semester in remote learning by drawing on several pages from their altered books or traditional sketchbooks, and combining them into one large piece.